Re: You can't condone this but, I'd like to be there on their return.

I've not read the article but the first thing that sprang to my mind was what if they left the car with one of those parking companies that meet you at the airport and take the car back to their "secure storage" ?

These parasitical companies keep coming up and promising to look after peoples cars safely away from the airport and they keep dumping peoples cars anywhere they can that costs them £0.

Until these private parking parasites are dealt with, the car parking situation round the country will continue to deteriorate.

Re: You can't condone this but, I'd like to be there on their return.

It's not cheap that's for sure but I suspect a lot cheaper than the cost of getting all that damage fixed. You may well be right as regards the 'valeted' parking scams, and these vehicles may well be victims of one.

As for the answer all I can put forward is that of better public transport. OK, maybe its not easy on public transport with luggage for a family for a two week holiday. But equally, there are taxis, and surely everyone must know someone that could take them to the airport.

Having said that if this really is down to nothing more than tight fistedness then sympathy I have none and sadly may well server as a valuable lesson for their next trip.

Re: You can't condone this but, I'd like to be there on their return.

I am not condoning the actions of vandalism, but I know people will take the urine when it comes to parking. Long battle we had which I can't say publicity - also we had one car parked outside our garage for a weekend blocking our access. The land owner put a note underneath the windscreen saying "Do not park here". You'd think that would be common sense.

Also parking charges in hospitals. I can see both sides of the argument. On the one hand if you are a genuine visitor, you're stressed out anyway as you don't want to be there (who does), how long you'll be there, etc. When I last drove there parking was a nightmare. If there wen't any charges people will drive and leave their car all day and go to work as I think it is (South East London) Zone 4. So if you live further out, it could is a matter of saving thousands of pounds per year, people will park there all day. The bus to the station is 10 minutes.

Re: You can't condone this but, I'd like to be there on their return.

No one has a 'legal right' to park on any road or street unless they are paying for a permit or parking fee.

So those who leave their cars on the street are wrong but equally no home owner has the right to consider the road or street outside their house as part of their property and reserved for their own use unless it is a private or unadopted road.

If this rule was enforced then private drives or garages would not be blocked by inconsiderate parking.

Another issue is cycling lanes, often blocked by cars half on pavement.

I suspect this is one of those issues the authorities or the police do not want to address unless they can offer alternative parking which clearly they cannot.

Re: You can't condone this but, I'd like to be there on their return.

Unless they had been causing an obstruction by parking where they did then, although not in the spirit of neighbourliness, they had done nothing wrong yet their vehicles have been vandalised which is a criminal act..

According to The Mail it was hoodies who caused the damaged? The council have now towed away the vehicles as they would apparently attract more damage rather than towing them away because of wrongful parking.

Forum Moderator and CustomerCourage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear - Mark TwainHe who feared he would not succeed sat still

Re: You can't condone this but, I'd like to be there on their return.

Why not just hire a taxi to take them to the airport, or use the buses and trains that often go to airports? Costs less than parking, and results in no damage to the car from parking where they had no right to park...

Re: You can't condone this but, I'd like to be there on their return.

Hmmm....... taxi to Heathrow please from Lincolnshire, not sure that would cheaper.

When I've been to NZ for 6 weeks at a time I didn't want to leave the car in airport parking for that long. It was by far less costly to hire a car one way each time. Book the return at the same time and Bob's your mothers brother.

In fact when we arrived back to 4" of snow at 5.30am we rang the hire company and asked them to start the car to warm it up for us and they did. Brilliant.